The Divine Right of Cads?

Robert Filmer was the 17th century defender of the doctrine of the divine right of kings, which was soon swept away by modern liberal democracy. His most famous book was titled Patriarcha, which not only argued for the divine right of kings but also for the “passive obedience” by the king’s subjects.

Robert Filner, the embattled mayor of San Diego, may have a future as the author of a sequel, by the same title if the feminists have their way (heh), about the divine right of cads, complete with the commandment of passive obedience to His Royal Hugginess.

This thought is prompted by this CNN story, which reports that because Filner never took San Diego’s mandatory sexual harassment training course, the city may be liable for damages from his harassees.

In a letter to the city attorney, Harvey Berger wrote that Filner might never have been sued for sexual harassment had he been properly trained.

“If there is any liability at all, the city will almost certainly be liable for ‘failing to prevent harassment,’ ” Berger wrote in a letter dated Monday and obtained Wednesday by CNN from City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. . .

Filner never received sexual harassment training while serving in Congress from 1993 to December 2012, Berger wrote. He was set to get such training — which is required within six months of one’s start date — after becoming mayor, but the trainer canceled the session and never rescheduled, according to the lawyer.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Why would Filner need special training in sexual harassment? He seems quite proficient at it all by himself. I’m sure the “trainer” mentioned in the story could see that Filner didn’t need any additional help. For Filner, a sexual harassment training course would amount to a how-to manual to improve his technique.

By the way, are San Diego’s sexual harassment “trainers” personal trainers? Thanks, but for this kind of subject, I’d prefer an impersonal trainer (and why can’t I ever find an impersonal trainer at the gym?). As it happens, the one and only sexual harassment course I ever had to endure was done online. Though come to think of it, I suspect Filner has availed himself of many online courses in the field. So maybe the city won’t be liable after all.